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Type 2 could this be a hypo ?

Freema

Freema

Expert
Messages
7,346
Location
Denmark
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
hey All lovely people, I have a maybe stupid question. the last fortnight I have most of the days been eating under 30 grams of carbs daily, and also taken metformin, my question is about some nighty experience twice during this period, in the middle of the night I almost wake up but am too groggy to wake up totally, my heart is beating like I had an ax-murderer right behind me, and even though I don´t really wake up I can feel this heart terror is bad, and after a longer while my heart starts beating normally again..

Can it be that I did have a hypo there in the middle of the night or can it only be sleep-apnea?

If it is sleep-apnea how come it only shows when I am doing the very low carb eating style?
 
Freema said:
hey All lovely people, I have a maybe stupid question. the last fortnight I have most of the days been eating under 30 grams of carbs daily, and also taken metformin, my question is about some nighty experience twice during this period, in the middle of the night I almost wake up but am too groggy to wake up totally, my heart is beating like I had an ax-murderer right behind me, and even though I don´t really wake up I can feel this heart terror is bad, and after a longer while my heart starts beating normally again..

Can it be that I did have a hypo there in the middle of the night or can it only be sleep-apnea?

If it is sleep-apnea how come it only shows when I am doing the very low carb eating style?
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Are you able to test BG during these episodes, @Freema?
 
Bluetit1802 said:
This may sound a flippant reply, but it does happen - were you having a nightmare or an exciting dream?
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I didn´t have an experience of a nightmare, and actually, my heart beat harder than when I have had nightmare many years ago, it also has been racing for a much longer time in this groggy state it keeps racing....
 
Are you on any other medication? Low-carb and metformin together are unlikely to cause hypos however Normal T0's have been shown to 'hypo' or run very low at night but not to the extent that their heart is racing though. Hope you get to the bottom of it but if it's causing you much concern visit your GP.
 
slip said:
Are you on any other medication? Low-carb and metformin together are unlikely to cause hypos however Normal T0's have been shown to 'hypo' or run very low at night but not to the extent that their heart is racing though. Hope you get to the bottom of it but if it's causing you much concern visit your GP.
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well I always take levothyroxine because my metabolism is artificial, my thyroid gland is dead, but I haven't taken any more than usual, and it it was caused from levothyroxine my heart beat would be raised all the time and not only for a period of 10-15 minutes. I also take 400 mg af serequel every evening for depression and apathy, and it could be this medication I guess... just wonder why it is only a few nights it works like that and not all nights.
 
And this is where I quietly step away.........! LOL I have no knowledge of those other drugs so won't comment any further.
 
We must be careful to remember that not everything is Diabetes related just because we have Diabetes. Report all new symptoms to your GP.
 
Freema said:
no unfortunately I dont wake up totally, if I do I will measure my blood glucose
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It would be the best way to determine if the symptoms are due to BG levels, but as others have mentioned your GP should be consulted for new symptoms.
 
@Freema - If you say you can' wake up when you have these experiences, do you think you could actually be dreaming it? I rarely remember any dreams at all, but where I do, they tend to have been disturbing dreams, then I can't get back to sleep.

Otherwise, if you are awake enough to know you are awake, then you should focus on testing, in my view.

The link @HICHAM_T2 posts seems to relate your symptoms to hyperthyroidism, as opposed to hypothyrdoidism, although it could be that you have become over-medicated, over time.

Although it seems most thyroid patients do end up on a stable dose for quite some time, the pharmaceutical support you need can change.

If this is disturbing you, and it seems to be, then please do talk to your Doc, and likely have a panel of bloods done.
 
DCUKMod said:
@Freema - If you say you can' wake up when you have these experiences, do you think you could actually be dreaming it? I rarely remember any dreams at all, but where I do, they tend to have been disturbing dreams, then I can't get back to sleep.

Otherwise, if you are awake enough to know you are awake, then you should focus on testing, in my view.

The link @HICHAM_T2 posts seems to relate your symptoms to hyperthyroidism, as opposed to hypothyrdoidism, although it could be that you have become over-medicated, over time.

Although it seems most thyroid patients do end up on a stable dose for quite some time, the pharmaceutical support you need can change.

If this is disturbing you, and it seems to be, then please do talk to your Doc, and likely have a panel of bloods done.
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No I am sure, I am kind of awake but can´t sit up and put the light on, I do remember me laying there and wondering why my heart keeps on beating that fast and waiting for it to not do that any longer, it took really a long while..it was not a nightmare

my heart rate is normal now also was yesterday... if my metabolism was too high my heart rate would keep being to high also today and tomorrow
 
It could be diabetes but I find I wake up during the night due to my thyrodism in the way you describe. Sadly I have no answer for it. To disregard diabetes I can only suggest looking at your pre bed and wakening numbers,
 
Are you taking the thyroxine late in the day?
I changed the time I was taking mine to the evening as I wanted to try taking ALA and the two are antagonistic - I had some very vivid dreams - even more than my usual ones which are pretty exciting, and I even opened my eyes and the dream continued which was rather disconcerting.
I changed to taking the ALA first thing and the Thyroxine mid afternoon and that sorted it out.
 
@Freema freema there is a thing called Hypnagogia you could in fact be in a hypnagogic state between sleeping and waking.

Hypnagogia is the experience of the transitional state between wakefulness and sleep in humans: the hypnagogic state of consciousness, during the onset of sleep. Mental phenomena that occur during this “threshold consciousness” phase include lucid thought, lucid dreaming, hallucinations, and sleep paralysis.

and then there is the opposite which you may be experiencing which is the hypnopompic state

The hypnopompic state (or hypnopompia) is the state of consciousness leading out of sleep, a term coined by the psychical researcher Frederic Myers. Its mirror is the hypnagogic state at sleep onset; though often conflated, the two states are not identical.
 
You really could do with a 24hour ECG recording. Need to rule out things like paroxysmal atrial tachycardia and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation/flutter.
Sleep apnoea - you would expect to rouse virtually fully after an apnoea episode, even if only for a few seconds.
Hypo - again, in my experience you awake fully, even if still a little drowsy. I see the two things as different states.
Suggestion - look up 'stages of sleep' and see where you think you fit in during these spells. Interesting...
 
Struma said:
You really could do with a 24hour ECG recording. Need to rule out things like paroxysmal atrial tachycardia and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation/flutter.
Sleep apnoea - you would expect to rouse virtually fully after an apnoea episode, even if only for a few seconds.
Hypo - again, in my experience you awake fully, even if still a little drowsy. I see the two things as different states.
Suggestion - look up 'stages of sleep' and see where you think you fit in during these spells. Interesting...
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I never did - nor my husband. I slept through multiple 'falling off the bottom of the graph' events, and my husband was stopping breathing for 30 seconds every minute or so, huffing and puffing in between times, but never woke up. We have both used CPAP machines for a long time, and my waking up still dreaming was when using one.
 
Freema, how distressing.

While i leave the good advise to others, i might
just ask if a fitness tracker, MIGHT be of use....?

I bought a cheap one on diagnosis, just to dip a toe in the water and see how my fitness is improving.
(steps etc)
One of the sides to it i have enjoyed has been the heart monitoring AND the sleep apps.

While they won't eliminate the episodes, they might give some validation to your concerns, and provide the evidence IF required of the racing heart beat.

Hoping for a speedy resolution to your issue.
 
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